Christmas Can Be Full of Surprises
by yoshifan8
Summary: It's a snowy Christmas morning in a small house in Ottawa, and both Maddie and Gilbert have wonderful surprises for each other. One-shot. Human AU. PruCan. FemCanada!


Maddie woke up. She felt well rested having slept in, no alarm clock needed since it was a holiday. She put on her thick-rimmed glasses and checked her phone. It read 09:14, Tuesday December 25.

She had a text message from her husband.

 _Good morning Birdie and merry christmas! I have prepared a surprise for you so hurry to the kitchen as soon as you see this! :* 3_

She smiled at his antics. Five years of marriage has not changed Gilbert in the slightest.

A large, white ball of fluff barged into the room and jumped on the queen sized bed.

"Good morning, Kuma," she said as she affectionately pet him. "Do you know what daddy's surprise is?"

He barked and wagged his tail.

"Must be something good! Go tell Gilbert that I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"

Excited and full of energy, the Chow Chow hopped off the bed and dashed down the hallway.

After taking her time to look presentable, though she stayed in her comfy polar bear-print pajamas because it was Christmas and their plans consisted of taking it easy at home, and grabbing her gift for him that she secretly hid, she made her way to the kitchen.

Thinking about what lay inside the small box made Maddie nervous. Excited. _I wonder how he'll react_ , she thought.

As she walked down the hall, there were signs along the wall:

 _IT'S QUIZ TIME WITH GILBIRD!_ (it said in big letters, with a drawing of Gilbert's pet bird holding the title.) _  
Answer the questions correctly and you'll win a prize! The more correct answers, the bigger the reward! There are a total of 5 questions!_

Maddie shook her head and chuckled. The next page read:

 _Question #1  
What was the last thing I told you before we went to bed?_

 _Question #2  
How many cups of coffee did I have yesterday?_

 _Question #3  
Finish this line: Meatball, meatball, spaghetti underneath. _, _, _ _ _._

 _Question #4  
True or False. I got a tattoo of a potato on my hip because of a dare from my best friend's boyfriend when we were all drunk._

 _Question #5  
Last question. What are you doing later today?_

"I think these are meant to be easy," Maddie said to herself as she studied the questions.

She was greeted with a kiss right when she walked in the kitchen, and the dog ran circles around them.

"Happy Christmas morning Liebling! I love that you let me put mistletoes everywhere," Gilbert held her close. He was wearing a flour-covered apron that read 'We Whisk You A Merry Christmas.'

She kissed him back. "Hmm, Merry Christmas. I have a surprise for you, too." She handed him a small wrapped box.

He gasped. "Aww, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but you'll be happy I did."

That made him laugh. "Kesese~ I can't wait to open it."

"So what's behind the curtain? Is it my prize?"

"Hold on, you need to tell me your answers first." He motioned for her to sit down at the table as he took off his apron.

She pretended to think about her answers. "Number one, you said what you always say: Ich bin bei dir; du seist auch noch so ferne, Du bist mir nah! Die Sonne sinkt, bald leuchten mir die Sterne. O, wärst du da," she recited in broken German. "Number two, you had 5 cups of coffee, I believe. Three is obviously, 'Ravioli, ravioli, great barrier reef.' That story is still true and hilarious. And for the last question, spending the day with you!"

He applauded, "All correct! And now for the moment you've been waiting for!" Gilbert pulled back the large curtain, revealing a gorgeous holiday setup. A red and gold theme with forest green accents. An array of toppings including blueberries, bananas, strawberry jam, and whip cream, along with soft butter and warm maple syrup. A fresh pot of coffee sat next to her favorite Christmas mug. Most importantly, right in the center, was a large plate stacked full of pancakes of different shapes and colors.

"Tada! I know it's your tradition to make Christmas pancakes, but this year I wanted to make them special for you. I've been practicing with different food coloring and designs. Shout out to DJ Gilbird," he pointed to the yellow chick sleeping in his cage. "What do you think?"

Maddie couldn't stop smiling. "Wow, these are amazing!" He had made, or rather, attempted to make, decorated trees, snowmen, Santa, and even their pets wearing scarves. "Kuma looks so cute, I don't want to eat it."

"I thought you would like that one the best."

She got up from her seat and kissed him. "Thank you so much. And thank you Gilbird. This is awesome."

Gilbert served her one of each character. She joyfully dug in, pancakes being her favorite food.

She moaned. "Are these gingerbread," Maddie asked with her mouth full, eyes wide.

"Yes, I called Francis and asked him to teach me. I figured a renowned pastry chef, let alone the father of my wife, would be the best person to ask."

"I haven't had these since I was a kid. They're delicious!" She finished chewing before she spoke again. "Honey, please sit down and join me. You need to help me eat these because I will eat them all if left alone."

"I know, I will in a minute. I'm just always fascinated with the way you look eating yummy foods."

Blushing, she tried to redirect his attention. "How about you open your present?"

"Ah, I almost forgot!" And it worked.

He carefully unwrapped the box with baby chick wrapping. He didn't know why but he had a gut feeling that whatever laid inside was important.

Gilbert gasped as soon as he opened it.

"Mein Gott." He picked up the pregnancy stick. Tears formed in his eyes when he realized what the two pink lines meant. "Is this real? Is this really happening?" He looked at her.

She began to tear up too. "Yes, I'm pregnant."

He immediately picked Maddie up and swung her around the kitchen. She giggled.

"We're going to have a kid, a mini-Birdie! I'm going to be a Vati," he shouted.

With pancakes momentarily forgotten, they danced around the kitchen, joy and love filling their hearts.

He peppered her face with kisses. "You are going to be _the_ best mom in the whole world, you know that?!"

"And you the best dad."

After a couple of phone calls to family and friends about the exciting news, the couple sat together in their small, cozy kitchen in the middle of a Canadian winter, discussing the future while enjoying the rest of Gilbert's creation. They spoke about baby names, potential hobbies their child will like, the best colleges for them, the careers they could have, everything. It was the best Christmas present they could ever receive.

* * *

 **A/N: The German passage is an excerpt from a poem called Proximity of the Beloved One written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.**

 **It's been a little more than a year since I last posted. I don't write much nowadays, but this little story popped into my head. I'm not even sure if the fandom is still active.**

 **Thank you for reading! I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers, nor any of its characters. All rights go to Hidekaz Himaruya.**


End file.
